How appropriate is it to read a book about conquering “food issues” and “weight issues” right as the new year begins? So many of us pick January 1st as a prime opportunity to get serious about losing those last ten (or more) pounds. So when the LitFuse Publicity group asked if I would like to read and review a new book by Lysa TerKeurst entitled Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food – I said yes.

In a nutshell, I really appreciated this book. But before I tell you more of my thoughts, let me tell you how the publisher describes Made to Crave.

What the publisher says:

Just because a woman finally fits into her skinny jeans doesn’t mean she’s won her battle with food. Too often, women overlook the spiritual component to their physical struggle with healthy eating. Made to Crave taps into the desires God gave you to consume food without letting food consume you!

Made to Crave is the missing link between a woman’s desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen. The reality is we were made to crave. Craving isn’t a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave more of him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction. If you are struggling with unhealthy eating habits, you can break the “I’ll start again Monday” cycle, and start feeling good about yourself today. Learn to stop beating yourself up over the numbers on the scale. Discover that your weight loss struggle isn’t a curse but rather a blessing in the making, and replace justifications that lead to diet failure with empowering go-to scripts that lead to victory. You can reach your healthy weight goal – and grow closer to God in the process. This is not a how-to book. This is not the latest and greatest dieting plan. This book is the necessary companion for you to use alongside whatever healthy lifestyle plan you choose.

What I thought:

Like many women in their (ahem) mid-to-late thirties, I struggle with my weight and can often be found somewhere on the continuum between “I’m doing great and counting my calories!” and “Oh forget it — give me the chocolate!”

And for years, I’ve been convinced that there is a significant spiritual aspect to the whole weight-loss thing. It’s not that I think God wants a specific number to appear on my scale tomorrow morning. Rather, it’s that as someone who claims to want to honor Him, I need to acknowledge that part of honoring Him is taking care of the body He’s given me.

Does that mean no chocolate, ever? I don’t think so. But it does mean making choices about food and exercise that contribute toward being healthy and maintaining a healthy weight.

That’s where Made to Crave comes in. In this book, Lysa won’t tell you how many calories or fat grams to consume. She won’t tell you to visit Weight Watchers or buy Lean Cuisine. This isn’t a “diet plan book” at all.

Instead, Lysa reminds us of the many ways our relationship with God is impacted by and reflected in how we eat and move.

She asks hard questions like, “Is it possible we love and rely on food more than we love and rely on God?” And she doesn’t hesitate to share ways in which she has turned to food for comfort, stress relief, security, etc. rather than turning to God.

Lysa also offers practical ways to rely on Scripture, prayer, and the Holy Spirit to combat cravings and unhealthy desires, and to shift our responses from over-indulgence to self-discipline. And she lovingly lets us know that we can’t fill our deepest longings or our deepest needs with food — or with anything else, except God.

At its essence, this book doesn’t tell you what to eat. But it does talk about why we eat to excess, why we should make healthier choices. And it gives Christians a foundation, a starting point, and a heart-motivation for making better decisions when it comes to our bodies.

Made to Crave is written in a conversational tone. Lysa shares honestly about her own struggles and the journey she is on to better honor God in the area of eating and weight-loss. Each chapter ends with questions for personal reflection and application, helping you go deeper and filter what you’ve read through your personal circumstances.

You can read more reviews of Made to Crave at Amazon.com. Or feel free to visit the official blog tour post for Made to Crave over at LitFuse, to see what other bloggers think about this book. (And you might want to visit that post anyway, because Lysa is holding a contest where you can win a free Kindle — information on how to enter the contest can be found over at LitFuse.)